The Specialist Effect
by CoquetteDoll
Summary: Penny is called stupid, when an unlikely person comes to her defense. Sheldon/Penny
1. Chapter 1

Penny had never been rejected before. It was always her who did the rejecting. She was pretty, right? Maybe not the smartest, certainly not as smart as her genius neighbours, but she certainly wasn't stupid. Right? But here she stood, outside the door of her apartment, hearing the guy she had been dating for the past week, Tim, tell her "it just wasn't going to work."

He told her that they just didn't fit together, he couldn't be with someone who never even went to college. This, again? Why was college so important? She could have finished if she tried. She knew she could, but it didn't matter anymore. She felt tears start to form at the corners of her eyes. If the man standing across from her noticed, he didn't show it. He just continued on, listing all the ways in which him and Penny weren't compatible.

In the end though, it boiled down to this. "I'm too smart for you." he smiled sympathetically and Penny finally started crying. Too smart? She closed her eyes and tried to tell him to leave, but no words came out. She wanted to dissapear, but she was here, this was happening and there was nothing she could do about it...

"Hello, Penny. I need you to-" a familiar bright voice cut through her internal thoughts. Sheldon Cooper. As usual, he was oblivious to the mood of things. She turned to look at him and when he saw her tear stained face, he looked slightly taken aback. He stared at her for a moment before carefully choosing his words.

"Are you... feeling alright?" She could tell he was trying his best to not upset her further and she smiled faintly for his efforts. "Did Howard try to touch you again? I could have a word with him, if you like. I'll tell him if he does it again, he'll be getting a strike..." he trailed off, not making eye contact with her. He was clearly uncomfortable. "No, it's not that, sweetie. It's-"

He finally noticed Tim, standing there, obviously impatient for Sheldon to get lost. "Oh." Sheldon said, clearly unimpressed. "You have a friend. Well, I'll just be leaving then." "No, Sheldon, it's fine! Please stay. Tim was just leaving." She shot a glare at him before turning back to Sheldon, giving him a pleading look.

"Very well. I suppose that's what "friends" do, after all." he smiled slightly, obviously pleased with himself that he was getting better at interacting with Penny. His smile faded as quickly as it came though, and she could tell he was feeling out of place again. "Is this person, the one who made you cry?" he asked Penny, quickly looking over at Tim, as if the guy he was talking about wasn't standing right there. Penny didn't say anything and stared at the floor. Sheldon took a step closer and stared right at Tim. "I'll have you know that it's extremely bad manners to make a girl cry." he said matter of factly. "Even I know that."

Tim sighed loudly and turned to Sheldon. "Look, I don't know who you are, but this is really none of your business. So if you could just get lost, so me and Penny can finish talking-" "I don't think I can do that. Whatever you're saying is obviously upsetting her. It wouldn't be right for me to leave her..." "Of course she's upset, I'm breaking up with her!"

Penny started to cry quietly and Sheldon grew silent. He thought carefully before opening his mouth to speak. "Why would you do that? Penny is attractive by most standards, she's charming, funny..." he looked everywhere except at Penny, avoiding her gaze. "Or so I've been told." "Sure, that's all true, but, not that this is any of your business, but she's stupid. She never even went to College! I can't bring a girl home to my parents who has no future other than waiting on tables her entire life."

Sheldon looked over at Penny, who was still staring at the ground. He felt a need to stand up for her, for some strange reason. She was his friend. He may be allowed to judge her, but this guy certainly wasn't. He started to talk slowly, trying to choose his words carefully.

"I suppose you went to college, then? I'll have you know that Penny is a very intelligent young woman. Not as intelligent as me, mind you, but then again, who is? She may not be book smart, but she's gifted in other areas. What makes you think you're better than her? Because you had a few more years of schooling? I guarantee that I am smarter than you in every way possible, and to be honest, I think you're an idiot, dumping a wonderful girl like Penny."

Tim said nothing and just turned back to Penny, obviously agitated. "Whatever. Listen, I don't have time for this. It's cute that this guy obviously likes you, but I just came here to tell you it's over." Penny ignored him. She was just looking at Sheldon, beaming. "Like her? Don't be perposterous. Penny is my friend, I-" he looked over and Tim was already gone.

He stopped talking and looked around, wondering if what he had said before was out of line. "I'm sorry." he managed to say, still not looking her in the eye. "He was clearly not good enough for you, anyways." She walked over to him, wiping her eyes. "Sheldon, look at me." "Pardon?" "Look at me, please." he slowly, awkwardly lowered his gaze until he was looking her in the eyes. "Thank you. So much." she breathed, and wrapped her arms around him. His body stiffened slightly, obviously not used to physical contact, but eventually he awkwardly put his arms around her as well. "There, there." he said softly.

She pulled back and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "What you said, it really meant a lot to me. I won't forget it." He stared at the ceiling, not knowing what to say, his face had turned slightly red from the kiss. She wondered if he had ever been kissed before?

"I was only telling the truth. Don't try to read anything into it. I'm not exactly a specialist in the area of human interaction, as you know." he said simply, arms still gently wrapped around her. Penny smiled up at him and he dropped his hands to his sides. "You know, for being so young, you really are out of touch sometimes."

She wasn't sure if the warmth she felt was temporary or something more, but as she reached down and took his hand, gentley leading him into her apartment, she didn't really care.

"I don't want to be alone right now. Please stay with me? Just for a while?"

For once in his life, Sheldon had nothing to say as he followed her inside.


	2. Chapter 2

At the time it seemed like a good idea. Penny had just been dumped, after all. She was lonely. Sheldon was there. He stood up for her and that meant a lot, especially because it was him. Sheldon Cooper did not stick up for others. He only cared about himself. Or so she thought.

Earlier that night he agreed to keep her company. She put in "The Notebook". It was her favorite movie. Sheldon rolled his eyes, a pained look on his face. "Penny, You know you become extremely emotional when watching these kinds of movies."

"I'll be good, I promise. Please?" She just shot him a pleading look and he immediately looked away, features softening slightly. "Very well. If it means that much to you."

Did she just give in to her? Based on her feelings?

"I still don't understand why you want me with you. Why not Leonard? He's the one who is chronically infatuated with you. He would certainly be able to feign interest better in this sort of thing than me. After all, I'm not very good at.." he paused to think of the correct words and averted his gaze before turning back to her.

"..comforting crying girls is not exactly my specialty."

Penny smiled at him warmly.

"Sheldon, sometimes it's nice to be with someone who isn't interested in you like that. I just want to watch a movie without worrying about things getting heated or awkward, and there's no chance of that happening with you."

Sheldon seemed to think about this for a few seconds, but didn't say anything. He seemed to be satisfied enough with her answer so she pressed play on the DVD remote and sat down beside him on her couch. Sheldon looked a little uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I'm agreeing to this but I get to choose the movie next time." Sheldon turned to look at her. Next time? She laughed cheerfully and he wondered why. "Well, that's how it works, isn't it?"

She wasn't positive because it was dark, but she thought she saw the slightest of smiles from him.

She needed to focus on the movie.

Surely enough, about halfway though she was already tearing up, and Sheldon just seemed to be analyzing every moment of the movie, as if it were a problem that needed solving. She didn't even want to begin to imagine what was going on in his head right now. She turned back to the screen.

"Look at us, we're already fighting!'"

"Well, that's what we do, we fight! You tell me when I am being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you are a pain in the ass. Which you are, 99% of the time. I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings."

Penny felt a lump forming in her throat. She was trying her best to hold back her tears. She started to think that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to watch this after all.

"It's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, for ever, you and me, every day."

That did it. The levees broke and Penny started crying. Sheldon stared at her, taken aback, unsure of what to do. He looked around the room. At the floor, the ceiling. His stomach began to ache and he wondered why. He hadn't eaten anything bad, to the best of his knowledge..

"I'm sorry, Sheldon, I just..."

Instead of finishing her sentence, she began to cry harder.

Sheldon shifted carefully in his seat. He gently took the remote out of her lap and paused the movie. She wouldn't be able to watch in her current state anyways.

What was the proper protocol for this type of situation? He thought about what he should do, but couldn't come up with anything. He may have 2 PhDs and an IQ of 187 but when it came to emotions, he was clueless.

He saw a box of tissues on the table and quickly reached over and grabbed one. He held it out to Penny and tried his best to smile, hoping it would make her feel better. He remembered once reading a study in a medical journal that claimed that smiling could-

His thoughts were interrupted by Penny grabbing the tissue out of his hand and wrapping her arms around him.

She buried her head in his chest, getting his green lantern shirt wet with tears. To her surprise, he didn't say anything. Didn't get angry. Didn't ask what she was doing. He just sat there awkwardly. Hands firmly at his sides. She felt one hand move away carefully.

" There, there." he maladroitly patted the top of her head.

She looked up at him. "I'm not a dog, Sheldon."

He looked back at her, hand still resting on her head. His face was blank, unsure of how to respond to that, but she smiled and he seemed relieved. He didn't realize being friends with a girl would be so taxing. He decided that's why he didn't like girls. They were too easily affected.

She unwrapped her arms from around him and sat back up, but instead of moving back over to her side of the couch, she stayed beside him. Sheldon wondered if she was due to get her period soon. He would have asked, but remembered the other times he brought up her menstural cycle.

For some reason, it didn't seem to be a popular conversational topic among women.

Penny rested her head against him and smiled up at him lazily. She had never behaved like this before. She hadn't been drinking as far as he knew. What could have caused this? Did their friendship progress in any way? He wracked his brain for an answer.

He was probably overthinking things. Common sense dictates that she was acting irrationally because of her current fragile emotional state. He decided that he could let it go this one time. It was getting dark. He wondered if Leonard was home yet. It wasn't normal for Sheldon to not be at home at this time. What if he came over here to see if Penny knew where he was?

What if he saw Penny pressed up against his side? Her legs curled under her, and head resting against his arm? He wondered if people might get the wrong idea. Or was this something that good friends did? He honestly wasn't sure. He was never good with relationships.

He began to think about what Leonard must see in Penny.

She was beautiful. He would admit that, but there are other factors to consider when selecting someone to carry your genes. To spend your life with. He frowned at the sentimental thought.

He wasn't sure what most people considered important. But supposedly greater genetic differences produced healthier offspring. He wondered if she would consent to giving him a blood sample to test, to see if her DNA was compatible with Leonard's.

"Penny?" Sheldon looked down at her and saw that her eyes were closed. He reasoned that her episode of hysterics must have worn her out.

"Penny?" he tried again to no avail. She was asleep. He sat quietly, listening to her breathe.

He found his eyelids feeling heavy. He was uncomfortable. He felt awkward and wished he was in his own bed, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to push her away. So instead, he leaned back and tried to relax the best he could.

He would just wait till she woke up. It was the polite thing to do. His mother would be proud of him, he thought. Penny stirred in her sleep, and he felt her hold his hand. Her fingers were cold. He tensed at the sudden touch before looking down at her. She was still asleep. Dreaming. Probably that he was someone else.

He remembered how his mom used to tell him girls with cold hands have warm hearts. Of course he knew it was probably due to poor circulation, but he imagined Penny would like that.

"Sheldon...?"

It was soft. Almost inaudible, but he was sure he heard it. His name? Why would she be dreaming about him? Although it isn't completely unreasonable, since he was the last person she saw. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little pleased, although he wasn't sure why. He also noticed that his stomach pain from earlier was gone.

He wondered if it would be acceptable to put his arm around her. It would be uncomfortable to try and sleep in his current position, in any case. He carefully pulled his arm out from under her and gingerly put it around her shoulders, trying his best not to disturb her. She instinctively cuddled up to him, her arms around his waist.

And for the first time that night, he didn't flinch at her touch. Maybe physical contact wasn't that bad after all.

Or maybe it just depends on the person. He would need more data to reach a final conclusion.

He began to speculate whether their DNA was compatible.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been nearly a week since their movie night together. Penny was sitting on the couch in her neighbor's apartment, watching an episode of Star Trek. What was she doing here again? Although it's not like she had anything better to do. And the company was good.

Sort of.

Her eyes wandered over to the person sitting beside her, his eyes glued to the TV.

She tried to forget how she ended up crying all over him that night like some hormonal idiot. How she fell asleep in his arms.

Most of all she tried to forget how happy she felt when she woke up and realized that he was still there.

What was wrong with her?

Thankfully he hadn't been acting much different than usual. It didn't seem like the little episode had changed his opinion of her. That was good, right? Why should he be acting different? And why was she still thinking about it? God, she _really_ needed to get a grip.

This was Sheldon she was talking about, after all. Yes, he could be sweet sometimes, but he was still just Sheldon. Who was _not _interested in her. To be honest, it bothered her a little. She was used to being able to use her looks to get men to do what she wanted, but it didn't work with him.

He had acknowledged that she was beautiful before, but seemed unaffected, regardless.

Not that she cared. It only bothered her a little. A tiny amount.

"Penny?"

Sheldon's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Is there a particular reason as to why you're staring at me?"

Penny was sure she must have turned red, although Sheldon showed no signs of noticing. Instead he was studying her with mild interest, a blank look on his face. Same as always.

She hated when he looked at her like that. Like she was an equation or something.

"Oh, I was just thinking about lucky I am to know someone as brilliant as you."

"Really?"

Penny sighed and leaned against the back of the couch.

"No, not really."

She smiled at him and he held eye contact with her for a second before turning back to the screen. They watched in silence for a few minutes before Sheldon turned to her with a slight frown.

"Penny?"

"Yeah, Sheldon?"

"I've noticed you've been acting a little strangely. Have I done anything to offend you in any way? If so, I apologize as it was never my intention."

"Sweetie, no, no. You haven't done anything, I promise. I've just had some things on my mind lately."

Sheldon raised an eyebrow at her.

"Is it regarding that man who dumped you in the hallway last week?"

Penny has almost completely forgotten about that incident and was a little surprised to hear him bring it up.

"What? God, no! I couldn't care less about that guy. You were right, I _am_ too good for him."

"Well, that's a relief. I was afraid I'd be having to deal with you moping around like Leonard usually does after a failed courtship."

"You know me, I love 'em and leave 'em."

"But he left yo-"

"Sheldon, that's not the point! The point is, I've moved on. I'm looking forward."

"Well, _good for you_, Penny."

He smiled at her and all of a sudden, her heart was racing. Dear Lord, what was happening?

She couldn't possibly be developing feelings for Sheldon.

Could she?

Dr. Sheldon Cooper. The guy that had absolutely NO interest in women or human relationships.

To fall for someone like him would be an emotional disaster.

No, no. This just had to do with him being so nice. Last week. She didn't like him like that. No way in _hell. _She couldn't have feelings for Sheldon Cooper. It just wouldn't be right.

"Thanks, Sheldon. Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"I suppose, if you must."

"Why don't you like girls?"

He seemed slightly taken aback by the question.

"It's not so much that I don't like _girls_ as I dislike most people in general. I like you, after all."

"No, I meant, in a romantic kinda way. Haven't you ever had feelings for someone?"

Sheldon thought for a moment before giving his answer.

"There was this one time when I was 5 years old. A girl moved in next door. I would hold hands with her but nothing beyond that. She moved away the following year. I think her name was Sarah."

Penny grinned widely, hardly containing herself.

"Sheldon! That is so adorable!"

"Yes, well, in any case, since then I've been much too busy with my studies and work to have any sort of interest in women. I can't have such frivolous thoughts clouding my head. Women have been the downfall of many great minds, and I can't have that happen to me."

"But I mean, you do have... needs, right? You are a guy, after all."

"I assume you're referring to sexual needs, and I assure you that I do just fine on my own."

"Have you ever been with a girl?"

"I'm with you right now."

"No, I mean, have sex. Have you ever had sex with a girl?"

Sheldon actually looked a little embarrassed and she suddenly felt bad for asking.

"Never mind! It's OK, sweetie! You don't have to tell me."

Sheldon looked visibly relieved, and turned to face her.

"In any case, why are you asking me all these questions?"

Penny really didn't have a good answer for that. Because she was nosey? She wanted to know if she did (which she didn't) have feelings for him, it wouldn't be a complete waste of time?

"Just curious, I guess. I mean, you can be a really nice guy sometimes. If you managed to find someone who could put up with your... _uniqueness_... I think it would be nice."

"I don't believe I'll ever find a person with the quality you just described, but thank you for your concern. It certainly would make my mother happy, though."

"What about me? I put up with you, don't I?"

Oh, shit. Sheldon was staring at her. She really just said that, didn't she. Why did she say that?

"Are you suggesting that you and I should enter into a-"

"No, no. _I _don't like you, Sheldon. I'm just saying, there are girls like me out there, obviously. So there's no reason why there isn't someone else who would be able to put up with you too. I mean, you still manage to get your work done with me around, don't you?"

She smiled at him warmly. He was such a sweetheart sometimes. So exasperating at others. She had never met anyone who could bring out such strong, opposing emotions in her. It was a little strange, to be honest.

"You don't like me?"

"What?"

"You said you don't like me. I thought we were friends. I have to say I'm a little disappointed that you don't feel the same way."

"No, I meant, in a romantic way. I don't _love_ you. Well, I mean, I _do_. I love you. But it's plato-."

"Why would I ever think that? You've never given any indication to such a thing, so it would be silly of me to just assu-"

"Just, never mind Sheldon. Forget it."

"Well, alright, but this whole conversation is a little peculiar."

Penny sighed. She really could not agree more. She should have never brought it up. Feelings and Sheldon just didn't mix.

"Wait a minute. You_ love _me? When did this happen?"

Penny sighed and put her hand on top of his.

"Of course I love you, Sheldon. You're one of my best friends. And, I don't know when exactly, it just sort of happened, I guess. I wouldn't put up with you if I didn't love you."

Sheldon looked strangely pleased with himself.

"I've never had anyone outside of my immediate family tell me that before. Thank you, Penny."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

Part of her wanted him to say it back, but she wasn't going to hold her breath. It was fine just like this. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"What are you-"

"Shh. It's a non optional social convention to let a girl who loves you do this."

Sheldon seemed to accept that, and didn't say anything more. They stayed like that while they watched TV. Part of Penny wished they could stay like that forever.

That was when she realized she loved him.

And it wasn't platonic.


End file.
